Understanding Atheism in Historical Perspective

Abstract

Atheism means denying the existence of gods and goddesses. In the West, the term atheism was used as early as the sixteenth century. In ancient Greece, the first atheistic concepts were expressed by dramatists in their plays. After the Enlightenment movement in Europe, skepticism against religion and ideas of secularism were promoted. In the history of Europe, atheism was not only a religious concept but was also used as a political tool to eliminate the enemies of the state. In the West, the charge of atheism has been used to suppress political and religious opposition. Atheism at the state level got a boost when the French Revolution led to liberalism in the West about human rights. Although the church put up a lot of resistance to stop this trend of atheism, this resistance could not stop the propagation of atheism for long. Atheism increased rapidly after the West criticized the religious classes during the Renaissance and Reformation. Scientific research in the modern era, development in the social sciences and modern philosophical ideas also strengthened the movement of atheism in the West. While opening the way for development in science, along with it, the foundations of religious beliefs were also shaken. Now, in the West and many Asian countries, atheism is being promoted under government auspices. In the 20th century, many new styles of atheism emerged and the syllabi of educational institutions also included atheistic ideas to make the society secular.